Dad-of-two, 45, and girl, 14, sneaked out at night to meet up during 'emotional' and 'intimate' 19-month relationship

Secret relationship: Havercroft and the girl met up when possible and made arrangements to meet by text. Picture posed by a model.

Online link: Havercroft and the girl got to know each other through Facebook. The picture above is posed by a model.

A CHEATING husband who had sex with a schoolgirl later told her: "I'm definitely a criminal now."

He and the smitten teenager regularly sneaked out of their homes in the middle of the night to meet up, a court heard.

But their secret relationship hit serious problems when the police were told about the matter, the court was told.

Jeff Havercroft, 45, of Willingham Court, Willingham Street, Grimsby, admitted five offences of engaging in sexual activity with a girl and two of making indecent images of a child, relating to 50 images they exchanged between themselves.

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Simon Hirst, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that Havercroft and the girl had a relationship stretching back to 2011 but police became involved in May last year after an anonymous tip-off.

The girl was spoken to at school and she said they regularly texted each other and met up when they could.

"Most involved sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night when everybody else was asleep," said Mr Hirst.

The relationship became sexual and, after they had sex, Havercroft told her: "I'm definitely a criminal now."

They met up when possible and made arrangements to meet by text. There was further sexual activity, including experimenting with handcuffs and blindfolds.

Havercroft bought her gifts for her birthday and for anniversaries of their relationship.

His mobile phone was later found to have 50 pictures of the girl on it – 21 of them showing her naked.

Some of the pictures also included intimate pictures of Havercroft.

"This relationship occurred over a 19-month period," said Mr Hirst.

The girl would be 18 early next year, the court heard.

Robert Underwood, mitigating, said it was not a situation where Havercroft had set out to "entice and lure a young girl into a relationship".

The two originally got to know each other through Facebook.

"One thing led to another," said Mr Underwood.

"There was clearly a meeting of minds."

Their "first intimate moment" was when the girl was aged 14 and the first time they had sex was when she was 14 years and nine months.

"Things then evolved," said Mr Underwood. "She was as much to blame as he was. They should have known better.

"He tried to bring it to an end. He failed to do so.

"This isn't an individual who is preying on a child and surfing the internet to find some images to gain satisfaction from."

Havercroft had been married with two daughters.

"The marriage is understandably being brought to a close," said Mr Underwood.

"His selfish actions have brought him to a point where his marriage is over."

Havercroft had been earning £70,000 a year but he had since left that job. He had no previous convictions.

Judge Simon Jack told Havercroft: "These are serious matters.

"The reason they are so serious is because offences of this kind normally involve the exploitation of children and have very serious consequences.

"They can be emotionally damaging to the child or children concerned, causing damage which may last the rest of the child's life."

Judge Jack said he disagreed with the girl that she was not a victim and added that it was vital that society protected such people.

"In order to do that, offences of this type have to be investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted," he said.

He told Havercroft: "She was the child. You were the adult and that's why you stand in the dock. You were approximately three times her age when these offences started and that's why society says you were the one who should have said 'no'.

"I accept that you, however misguidedly, allowed yourself to get in to an emotional relationship with this girl. It should never have happened but it did.

"I accept that she was very actively involved in pursuing the relationship. I take the view that I can't ignore that. The law is still there for society to protect children who are under-age from their own desires.

"You have caused upset within your own family and her family and you are aware how bad that is."

But he added that, because of the circumstances involving the girl's role: "The sentence can be substantially shorter than the guidelines would suggest."